Air Collective
Formerly known as the Air Nomads, the Air Collective has taken the place of the monastic order of monks and nuns to represent the modern collection of airbenders, monks, nuns, acolytes, and all other citizens and residents of the air temples and other air settlements. The Air Collective is the smallest of the four nations, due to the decimation of its population from Sozin's Genocide and the Hundred Year War. Unlike the other nations, every Air Nomad is born with the ability to bend their element. That is to say, all nomads are airbenders and none are non-benders. This is due to the high spirituality experienced in their lifestyle. Though, most airbenders are now of mixed descent as their ancestors blended with the general population in hiding from the Fire Nation, so more and more airbending descendants are born with another element or without bending at all. Despite all odds, the numbers of the Collective are constantly growing through the birth of new airbenders and as non-benders and even benders of other nations renounce their former lives to dedicate themselves as Air Acolytes. So, despite the rigidly spiritual lifestyles of the temple monks and nuns, the Air Collective is also quite diverse. History Origins During the era of Raava, the first airbenders received their abilities from the great lion turtle they lived on. Unlike the peoples of other elemental lion turtles, these early airbenders were trusted to keep their bending gift both in the spirit wilds and in their settlements on the lion turtle's shell. From the very beginning, these ancestral airbenders lived harmoniously with the spirits and practiced a culture of peace and detachment. When the lion turtles renounced their roles as the protectors of mankind, these people likely became nomadic, hence going down in history to be known as the "Air Nomads." Ancient History The early Air Nomads constructed monuments, statues, and stupas all over the world as they traveled, leaving in their path many of the world's ancient spiritual outposts that are still visited today. Mountains, due to their heightened airflow and spiritual connection, became especially important locations. Air Nomads increasingly congregated at the mountains and cliffs of the world and tamed herds of sky bison, from which they learned the arts and techniques of airbending. As the nations of the world began to build civilizations, the Air Nomads built massive and ornate temples in the mountains and cliffs at the four corners of the world to serve as centers of spirituality, festivities, and their way of life. Genocide and the Hundred Year War Air monks and nuns enjoyed relative peace and isolation until Fire Lord Sozin launched his infamous invasion using the power of the great comet to commit genocide on the Air Nomads in his plans to kill the Avatar and take over the world. However, several airbenders survived the attacks, including Avatar Aang. For the remainder of his life, Sozin devised cruel tricks and tactics to lure the remaining airbenders out of hiding in order to pick them off one by one. As the war went on under Fire Lords Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai with the other nations, the few surviving airbenders in the world took to hiding, changing their appearance, and integrating with peoples of the other nations. A small group of airbenders even managed to escape to a small, drifting island and continued to live there in secrecy, similar to the Sun Warriors, until the war had ended. Culture The Air Nomads have historically been a nation of isolation, peace, and reflective living. Today, the Air Collective holds on to many of the ancestors' traditions, but it has also developed a culture of its own. Like past airbenders, the monks, nuns, and acolytes of today's Collective believe in peace, nonaggression, and the idea of forgiveness. The monks used to say, "Revenge is like a two-headed rat-viper; while you watch your enemy go down, you're being poisoned, yourself." This teaching still applies, but because of the nearly irrevocable evil actions of the past, most airbenders today believe in concepts of justice - making up for bad deeds with penalty and recompense. In the modern Air Collective, as well, representation and democracy (the governmental elements of the wind) has become intertwined with tradition and piety. Airbenders are very open-minded, which grants tolerance of others' opinions, other peoples, and different ways of life. However, there still remains a strict expectation that all airbenders pursue traditional training on the path toward earning their tattoos as monks and nuns. If you invite an airbender to dinner, try to offer many vegetarian or vegan options! As part of their worldy views that all life is sacred, the vast majority of airbenders do not eat meat, and many will not eat the products of living creatures either. When in doubt, fruit pies are always a favorite treat of any airbender. But beware - although airbenders are very respectful guests in public, some of them tend to pull pranks or jokes on their friends or on unsuspecting visitors in the temples - especially when fruit pies are involved! Some other important aspects of airbender culture include: celebrations of holidays and festivals, observing rituals for almost every occasion, befriending sky bison, meditation, gaining tattoos for airbending mastery, and following the ways of past influential monks and gurus. Ancient legends recount important figures such as Guru Laghima who broke his tether from earthly attachments and unlocked the key to weightlessnes, Monk Tang Xu who completed a historically long fast, and Guru Mohandas who developed the 36 tiers of airbending which are still used to achieve bending mastery today. Government Government system: Democratic Oligarchy Head of state: '''High Monk/Nun '''Head of government: Air Council Territorial divisions: Four air temples & dispersed villages Heads of territorial divisions: Members of the Air Council, styled as Abbot, Abbess, or Mayor Religious Authority: '''Airbending masters and gurus '''Capital: Southern Air Temple Historically, the Air Nomads have been recognized as one of the four nations of the world. Where the Fire Nation is designed as an empire, the Earth Kingdom a monarchy, and the Water Tribe a chiefdom federation, the Air Nomads have never had any more of a government than a council of elders presiding over each temple. The same is true of the modern airbenders - a nation of many walks of life, but not a nation in the sense that they have a strong government to force the people into a certain lifestyle. Moreover, the “citizens” are diverse, including monks, nuns, everyday airbenders, acolytes, nomads, and even sky bison. To incorporate this broad community that shares in the peace and union of the air temples or general airbender identity, the people within this "nation" describe themselves as more of a spiritual and connected collective of peoples. This Air Collective is regulated and overseen by an elected Air Council of Representatives. These members raise up the younger generations of airbenders, anoint monks and nuns, and generally promote the peace, well-being, and spirituality of the Collective. Aftermath of War Return of the Air Nomads After the Hundred Year War, several airbenders began to pop up around the world, all with their own unique survival story - but with no direction or home. A year later, Avatar Aang formed the Air Acolytes, nonbenders and benders of other nations who devoted to the Air Nomad traditions and way of life, who helped to organize and integrate the returning airbenders from hiding into the world. The acolytes and returning airbenders initially grouped in make-shift villages and tents outside of the air temples as they began to restart the Air Nation. Due to being several generations displaced, however, airbending masters, monks, and nuns were rare and the responsibility for teaching fell to a very few knowledgeable elders and was slow paced. Despite receiving little aid from the other nations, the early years after the war brought about a resurgence of Air Nomad culture, the discovery and protection of a small air bison herd, and the refurbishment of the Western Air Temple. Cultural Restoration After the passing of Avatar Aang, the Air Acolytes and Nomads were kept organized under an Air Representative. This form of leadership remained until the reestablishment of the Council of Elders in 121 AG. Over the decades following the war, the population began to rise with the birth of many new airbenders. In order to protect these airbenders, the temples, and their way of life, and to prevent the mistakes of the past, the Air Guardians were established as a defensive force called upon to serve as sentries and peace keepers. In 120 AG, on the twentieth anniversary of the end of the Hundred Years War, the four nations came together for the first time since before the war to discuss and sign the Air Temple Restoration Agreement (ATRA) in order to help rebuild the air temples. The Fire Nation provided the funds and technology, the Earth Kingdom provided resources and manpower, and the Southern Water Tribe provided temporary shelter for displaced airbenders. The Modern Air Collective As the airbenders have grown in population, so have they also significantly changed due to the effects of the war and from being so long displaced from their roots. This change has mostly taken on forms complimentary to the peaceful nature of airbenders, such as advocacy for social causes; likewise, modern Air Nomads engage with the other nations on the world stage in a more interactive level than their ancestors had. During the Rebel War, Air Representative Jiyu initially expressed neutrality but eventually agreed during a peace meeting with the Earth Kingdom and Avatar to help bring an end to the war and loss of life. Since then, the Air Nomads have had a greater sense of service to world peace. The blend of 'traditional versus modern' aspects of the Air Nation intensified when the Council of Elders was reinstated in 121 AG after Councilmen Senzo and Heiwa divided the nation over the argument between strictly maintaining traditions or pursuing a more political and materialistic place in the world. After some time, the two councilmen were removed from office and a new leadership was elected. Under the guidance of the new "Air Council", the nation took a more democratic turn and relabeled itself as a "collective" rather than a "nation" to account for its diversity and democratic approach. Ever since, the majority of the Air Collective has taken to traditional values and livelihoods, with a select few deciding to embrace the more materialistic and modern lifestyle in the Air Collective settlement of Gyantse. As threats to the balance of the world increased over the year 123 AG, including the rise of the Red Lotus, the defunding of the ATRA, and the hostilities of the Third War, the Air Collective has balanced both a cautious and proactive approach. In part, the nation and its Air Guardians have been proactive in targeting and investigating the Red Lotus threat to the peace and safety of the world as well as focusing their own limited resources on the further reconstruction of the air temples. Elder Yat-sen also began a food and clothing drive for those suffering from the war and led the construction of refugee camps to be set up at the air temples for those seeking asylum from the violence and chaos of war. These proactive measures have also been countered with precautions, with the Air Council restricting access to the temples by non-airbenders or acolytes.Category:A-Z Category:Air Collective Category:Locations